


Time to Hope

by firefly115



Category: The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Captured Elrond, Elrond deserves a lot of love, Elrond hanging out with the halflings, Gen, M/M, Saruman being creepy, Sauron got the Ring, Worried Aragorn, the One Ring was diss'ed by Vilya, worried everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27828337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firefly115/pseuds/firefly115
Summary: Sauron regained the One Ring and had his eyes on the three elven rings. However, when he tried to retrieve Vilya from a wounded Elrond at the gate of Rivendell, he was met with a little unexpected trouble. The ring had bound with her bearer and refused to submit to the dark lord. Sauron needed Elrond to reign Vilya's power. The elven lord surrendered himself in exchange for a ceasefire of attacks on Rivendell.With the precious little time purchased by Elrond's sacrifice, Aragorn has to find out a way to defeat the more-powerful-than-ever dark lord and save his foster father before it is too late.
Relationships: Aragorn | Estel & Elrond Peredhel, Aragorn | Estel/Arwen Undómiel, Aragorn | Estel/Elrond Peredhel, Saruman/Elrond
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

1.

An Age of darkness had fallen upon the Middle Earth. It came swiftly, unforeseen by most, its imminence marked only by the death of two Hobbits.  
Frodo and Sam were killed, executed by orcs in the depth of Mordor. The Ring that they had sacrificed their lives to destruct had returned to its master's hand.

Sauron was back, more powerful than ever. His eyes were fixed on the three elven rings, which can still put up a fight against his rule.

Gondor fell to the thriving armies of orcs within a fortnight of the Hobbits' demise. The dark lord's attention next shifted to Rivendell, the last stronghold of elves and men, where two of the three elven rings then resided.

When the tall dark figure enclosed in heavy armors emerged from swarming crowds of orcs at the gateway of Rivendell, every being on the battlefield was seized by a soul-chilling fear.  
Several courageous souls who dared to charge the dark lord were quickly incapacitated. Aragorn and Legolas were severely wounded. Gandalf was knocked unconscious. 

Elrond was the only one who managed to put up a worthy fight. But the elf lord had strained himself to keep Rivendell intact under the ceaseless attacks of orcs since Sauron's rise. With Vilya repressed by the One Ring, his elven power was in no state to match that of the Dark Lord.  
Sauron's sable sword eventually went through the elf's shoulder and pinned him to the ground. Men and elves who attempted to come to the aid of their fallen protector were all thwarted by Sauron with just a wave of his arm.

The crowd watched in despair as the dark lord reached out to the motionless form of Gandalf and summoned Narya. The Ring of Fire presented herself in a flash of bright red light, and flew off her bearer's finger onto the palm of Sauron.

The dark lord inspected the ring with satisfaction and moved on to do the same with Elrond.  
Vilya emerged with a glowing pale blue light. But something quite unexpected took place. The Ring of Air appeared to cling tight to the elf lord's finger and refused to budge an inch in submission to the One Ring.

After a brief moment of bewilderment, Sauron seemed to be rather intrigued by the development.  
"All the better." He hissed, "I shall enjoy this even more."  
With that, the dark lord pulled his sword out from the elf's flesh and wielded it towards his ring-bearing hand.  
A pained yelp escaped Elrond's lips as his wound was torn open. But the expected agony of amputation did not come about. The blade fell upon the elf's wrist as if fallen upon the hardest granite. Not even the slightest harm had been done to the hand on which Vilya shined bright in defiance.

"How marvelous. I see she has bound with you." Sauron spoke softly, with a hint of amusement in his voice, "If I kill you now, she will become no more than an ordinary stone. That would be a pity."

"So she will be." Elrond glared at the bottomless hollow of Sauron's eyes, "You cannot own something that's not meant to be yours."

The dark lord hissed out a short chuckle and lifted the elf's chin with the tip of his sword.  
"But Vilya will be mine, Elrond Peredhil. If she is bound to you, I will take you along with her."

"You shall take nothing but my dead body." Elrond spits. "Vilya will perish with me."

"Cooperate, Elf." Sauron's voice deepened ominously, "I will offer your people a year of peace. Harm yourself, and they shall all die with you this day."

Elrond frowned as he contemplated the options. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of his twin sons struggling against Sauron's power to get to his side. The hard lines on his face slightly softened.  
The choice was clear. Whether Sauron could manage to bent Vilya to submission hardly mattered at this point. The dark lord's power already superseded every single being on the Middle Earth. The best thing he could do was to buy some time; time for the resistance to pick themselves up; time for his friends and allies to heal; time to hope.  
Elrond turned his head to look at Aragorn. The injured ranger was barely conscious, but his blue eyes met the gaze of his foster father with undying spirit.  
He was not named Estel for nothing. Elrond thought with some pride.

"Fine. Take me, and spare their lives." The elf lord replied, sealing the deal despite the distant pleads from his loved ones.

"Very well." Sauron purred.

Elrond peeked at his children one last time as his captor whispered dark spells that put him to sleep. Elladan's tear-stained face was the last image he saw before falling into the embrace of darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Through the many decades of his life, Aragorn had never seen Elrond hurt.  
Though better known for his boundless wisdom and mastery of healership, the elven lord was first and foremost a fearsome fighter challenged by few in the Middle Earth. He had always been a powerful and reassuring presence, a ruler and protector that forever carries himself with poise and grace. For that reason, the sight of his blood was both foreign and devastating to all who looked up to him as an invincible guardian. 

When Aragorn came back to the land of the living after two days of feverish sleep, he was startled awake by the nightmarish vision of Sauron riding off on his dragon, with the elven lord hanging limply in the beast's clutch.  
His weak struggles were immediately subdued by a firm but gentle hand on his chest.

"Welcome back, my friend." Gandalf greeted the ranger with his usual soothing voice, "Don't move now, you have been hurt."

Aragorn took a moment to register that he was in the healing room with Gandalf at his bedside.  
"Mithrandir!" The wounded ranger grasped the wizard's arm with urgency, "Sauron...Did he...?"

Gandalf sighed and noded solemnly in confirmation.  
"It is the least of my wish to stress you in this condition. But I'm afraid your memory has not mistaken. Both Narya and Vilya are in the evil's hand now... as well as Lord Elrond."

Aragorn closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. Tears escaped him before he could help it. If any fate could be worse than death for an elf, it would be being taken alive by the creatures of darkness. He had never foreseen that this fate would befall an elf so dear to his heart.  
The moment of weakness was quietly embraced by the wizard, who laid a hand on the weeping man's shoulder in unspoken solace. 

"Despair not, my friend." Gandalf eventually broke the silence, "For Hope has not been lost."

Aragorn looked into the wizard's eyes, and recognized a hint of wetness in the soft blue pupils. 

"I'm afraid I had failed, Mithrandir." Aragorn huffed out the words weakly, "I had failed my people... I had failed him." 

Gandalf shook his head.  
"Well. You should know this better than me. But Lord Elrond is one of the wisest in the Middle Earth who never acts on impulses. He did the only thing that can delay the imminent doom and give us a fighting chance. And he made that choice because he trusted you."  
The wizard smiled.  
"He trusted that you can fill that void he left behind. You know Elrond had the gift of prophecy. And he had foretold your fate with your name, Estel."

Aragorn whispered a soft appreciation to the heartening words, the gloom on his mind slightly lifted.  
Emotions exhausted the wounded ranger, and his eyelids started to feel heavy again.  
Gandalf sat back and relaxed as he held vigil.  
"Now sleep in peace. Have faith in him. And have faith in yourself."

The next time Aragorn regained his consciousness, he was shaken awake by a very excited Elladan.  
"Wake up, Estel! Glorfindel is back with Lady Galadriel!" He exclaimed, "She needs to speak with you."

=====================================

Elrond opened his eyes in a dimly lighted room. The dull ache in his right shoulder brought back memory of the devastating battle and his captivity. 

The elf tried to move and was puzzled for a moment. He found himself in clean clothing, his wound treated and dressed neatly with bandages. The firm surface that he was laying on, though not comfortable, was, nonetheless, a bed, and a quite large one.  
These were certainly very different from his expectation of dirty dungeon with chains, shackles and endless torture.  
The room around him was also clean and spacious. It was even furnished with a wooden table and a couple of chairs. The only thing that resembles a normal prison cell is the tiny barred window high up one of the walls.

Elrond rose from the bed with some difficulty, his body still frail from the wound. In the process he realized that a pair of metal bracelets have been fitted to his wrists. Carvings of enchantment glimmered faintly on the cold smooth surface. Though the elven lord did not know the language, he was fairly certain that it was a spell that restrains his elven power.

Upon further inspection of his cell, the elven lord found that the only entrance to the room was blocked by a thick wooden door. There was a small trapdoor on the bottom, in front of which laid a tray of surprisingly decent food and fresh water.

Does Sauron intend to keep him as some sort of pet? Elrond couldn't help but wondered. He did not have a good feeling about this seemingly respectful treatment. It was still a mystery how Sauron intended to sever Vilya's tie with him. Torture was something he could handle, but he feared that the dark lord was contemplating a plan that renders him powerless to hinder Vilya's loss. 

The door and window of this prison was sealed with enchantments that prevent any passage unless an individual was endorsed by the enchanter himself. The elven lord recognized the writings to be the handwork of someone he knew. 

Saruman. The white wizard who betrayed them all and took his chance with the dark side.  
He must have become Sauron's most trusted servant after the dark lord regained his ring.

Two days later, Elrond's speculation was confirmed when the wizard himself showed up at the door.

"Good day, Elrond." Saruman greeted the elf with his usual courteous tone, "It is always a pleasure to see an old friend."

"The pleasure is all yours, Saruman. And you, I'm afraid, are no longer a friend of mine." Elrond stared at the intruder with wary.

Saruman sighed with an exaggerated disappointment.  
"Don't be hostile, my friend. You have always been polite and welcoming in the past."

"And it was reciprocated with betrayal." 

"Betrayal is rather an overstatement. It was more of a personal choice." Saruman curled his lips, "And my choice has been proven wise. You are known to have a great mind, Elrond. Come to your sense and join me. The dark lord may even allow you to keep Vilya." 

"Are you here just to persuade me?" Elrond narrowed his eyes. "Save your breath, Saruman. This is going nowhere." 

"I thought so. " The wizard arched an eyebrow, "Well, I hoped you at least like your accommodations. I personally saw to it that you have a relatively comfortable environment to recover from that nasty wound."  
Saruman glimpsed at the elf's shoulder. "You will need your strength for what the dark lord has in store for you."

"What do you intend to do?"

"Oh you will know soon."  
Saruman's sinister smile widened as he waved his staff. The bracelets on the elf's wrists suddenly came to life. The metal circles moved with undeniable force and bound to each other, effectively restrained the elven lord's arms behind his back. 

"Consider this an honor. The dark lord forged these cuffs specifically for you." The wizard explained, amused by the look of surprise on Elrond's face. "A friendly warning to not try fighting them. They can leave quite nasty burns."

An Uruk-hai was then summoned into the room. The evil creature secured a pair of heavy shackles to the elf's ankles and dragged him out of the cell.

Elrond noticed that he had been held in a tower. Saruman led their way down flights of spiral stairs into another room on the lower level. The elven lord had a hard time catching up, as the shackles allowed him only clumsy short steps. The Uruk-hai's unnecessarily rough handling did not help either.  
When they finally reached their destination, Elrond was thrown onto a stone seat in the middle of the room. His cuffs were briefly released and re-secured to the armrests, rendering him immobilized. 

The room was apparently used for Saruman's sick experiments of orcs breeding. Vials of unidentifiable liquid and clusters of mysterious instruments were scattered around the space.  
The wizard gathered the items he needed and came to Elrond's side with a small dagger.  
"Now don't be nervous. This won't hurt ... too much."

Saruman rolled up the elf's sleeve and found the throbbing vein inside the bend of his elbow. A single slicing of the blade created a deep gash on the once smooth skin and a stream of dark red blood flow down the side of the well-toned arm. Saruman chanted some spell to keep the blood flowing and fetched a vial to collect the liquid.

Elrond frowned at the revelation of the dark lord's intention.

"Is he, for real, planning to drink my blood and trick Vilya into binding with him?"

"Why not?" The wizard answered, "Blood is a medium of magic power in living beings, as you may know better than me. It may take a bit time, but a worthy method to try."

Elrond felt a slight unease, as such method may indeed have a chance at success. He quietly stroked the warm metal band that adorn his finger, and sent a silent prayer that the Ring of Air will not be so easily deceived.  
"Such excellent rationale and intrepid spirit. Oh, Saruman the Wise, I only wish that your name is not such an irony." 

The wizard did not rage over the comment, but instead, appeared to be rather intrigued.  
He moved closer and reached out a hand.

"I have always liked you, Elrond, such a fine combination of wisdom and naivety."  
The wizard's long finger nails caressed the elf's braided hair and brushed pass his pointy ear.  
"Now that I see how feisty and biting you could be, I like you even better. It's infinitely more ... interesting."

Elrond flinched at the rather intimate touch. He turned away, sickened by the implications of the wizard's words. But the hand caught his chin and forced him to turn back.

"I recommend that you show more appreciation, my dear, as the dark lord had considered torturing you senseless, or just throwing you to his orc warriors as a plaything until you are broken. I persuaded him to seek this ... more promising and civilized method. After all, it is never my desire to see an old friend die in pain." 

Saruman lowered his head close to Elrond and stared right into the elf's grey eyes.  
"And he promised that you shall be mine when he's done with you."


	3. Chapter 3

When Saruman was finally satisfied with the blood collection, Elrond had already started to see dark spots in his vision. There had not been sufficient time for him to recover from the sword wound, and the additional blood loss further weakened him. 

The returning trip upstairs proved to be even more difficult than the trip down. Elrond found himself out of breath and light-headed when they arrived at his cell. He was freed from the restrains and pushed into the room.

"Rest while you can. Make sure you are ready again in three days." Saruman smirked at the elf. He paused for a moment before closing the door, "Oh, I also left some ... little presents for you in the room. Hope they will keep you occupied."

Elrond was bewildered by the statement until he turned and saw two motionless figures laying on the floor. The child-like features and mops of curly hair were unmistakable. It didn't take him long to recognize them.

Merry？ Pippin?

The elven lord pushed the astonishment aside and quickly examined his unfortunate companions. Both had apparently been the subject of quite some abuse. Numerous injuries and bruises marred their exposed skins, but luckily, none appeared to be grave.   
Elrond felt a little bit of relief, and proceeded to move the halflings to the bed. With limited supplies and his power restrained, the best thing he could do was to clean and dress their wounds with fabric torn from the bed sheet.   
It did not take long to complete the work. Elrond fed the Hobbits a bit of water and sat down by the bed to hold vigil, his lips curled up into a smile. No one had had any hope to see this loyal and bright pair alive ever again after the break of the Fellowship. Amid his current predicament and all his worries about Rivendell, Elrond found this unexpected reunion to be a small solace.

============================================

The safe arrival of Glorfindel and Galadriel had sparked some much needed joy among the grieving residents of Rivendell. The powerful elven warrior had been sent by Lord Elrond on a mission to escort Lothlorien elves to Rivendell soon after Sauron regained the Ring. It had long passed their expected date of return, which had made many fear the worst.   
As reported by Glorfindel, Lothlorien had fallen and their journey had been hindered by multiple encounters with the orcs. It took all their efforts to keep the casualties at minimal.   
Even the sharp blue eyes of Lady Galadriel betrayed a hint of exhaustion when she finally showed up in Aragorn's room. But her perceiption remained keen as usual. A mere look at the injured man seemed to obviate the need for any explanations.

Elladan and Elrohir were at the ranger's side, helping him to sit up. 

Without a word, Galadriel gently bend down and put her arms around the trio. Her soft golden light brought a sense of serenity, and Aragorn felt the pain from his wounds subsided. 

"Your father is alive. I can feel him." Galadriel whispered, "I believe he will remain so as long as Vilya holds her ground."

"Why has Vilya bound with father?" Elrohir asked with concern, "I fear what Sauron will do to him in attempt to break the bond..."

"I have no answer, my child." Galadriel replied with a sigh. "Through all the ages the ring spent in your father's possession, perhaps she has picked up a character or two from him. It may be a mystery even to Celebrimbor himself."  
She raised her hand to inspect the Ring of Water that adorned her own finger.  
"But one thing is certain. The ring cannot be taken by force. And your father is never susceptible to coercion. We still have a chance to save him."

"But how? My Lady?" Elladan was evidently frustrated, "Our force is dwindling. And we shall be no match to Sauron's power even if he keeps his words and leave us for the year. Father will certainly be beyond help by then for the torture he will be put through. Valar, the entire Rivendell will be trampled in a flash."

"Staying on defense leads to certain doom. We need to make moves." Aragorn muttered in thoughts, "Sauron has become careless. He is playing with the resistance like a cat with its prey. Hubris must have blinded him. Here lays our opportunity."

"Precisely." Galadriel smiled, "There are forces other than men and elves on our side, Estel. You should consider making use of them wisely.  
For a start, Mithrandir has a couple of old friends whom you might want to be acquainted with."

**Author's Note:**

> Characters do not belong to me.
> 
> English is my second language. Please forgive the grammar mistakes.


End file.
